This easy, DIY hair conditioner uses natural ingredients to leave your hair feeling soft and tangle free. It can be used as a rinse-off, a leave-in, or a cleansing conditioner.
Tare the scale and add the BTMS (or another cationic emulsifier) to the oil(s).
Heat the oil and BTMS mixture over the double boiler until the BTMS has melted. Fully stir the ingredients together until well combined and remove from the heat.
Add the hot water to the hot oil mixture. Ideally the water and oils should be at around the same temperature (around 70º-75ºC/160º-170ºF). Keep stirring until the mixture comes together and thickens slightly.
Allow the mixture to cool to around 90ºF/30ºC, and then add delicate ingredients like the preservatives, essential oils, or any other additives like silk or wheat protein that you may want to add. Combine well.
Test the pH of the conditioner. Ideally, you want the pH to be in a good range for both your hair (4.5-5)and for the effectiveness of whatever preservative you are using. (I'd suggest choosing a preservative that works at that range rather than adjusting the recipe to suit your preservative.) Adjust the pH down with a couple of drops of lactic acid (or, less likely, up with a solution of NaOH).
Bottle your conditioner. Wait until fully cooled to cap the bottle to prevent condensation from forming above the conditioner. You can now use it as needed!
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Notes
Make small batches and use up within around 3 months. Feel free to substitute the argan oil for a different oil or a combination of oils. For a more natural conditioner that uses an Ecocert-approved emulsifier, BTMS can be substituted with either Varisoft® EQ 65 or Emulsense HC. If using Emulsense, you should use Spectrastat G2-N as your preservative and should adjust the pH up, if needed, with arginine.While glycerin is a great humectant for hair, it may not be beneficial to all hair types in all environments. (It can cause issues in areas with extreme humidity or dryness.) You can exchange the glycerin for more water if you choose not to use it.